Nipple-flange.



H. W. REYNOLDS & .T. A. SMITH.

NIPPLE FLANGE.

APPLIOATIOII FILED 111111.27, 1908.

Patented Dec. 14-, 1909.

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HOWARD W. REYNOLDS, NEW YORK, N. Y., AND JOHN SMITH, F ARLINGTON,

' i NEW JERSEY.

NIPPLE-FLANGE.

Specification of Letters Patent. ?a,trgnj]tgd Egg, 11a, jiglfig Application filed March 2?, 1908. Serial No. 423,654.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that we, HOWARD W. REY- noLus, a. citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the countyof New York and State of New York, and JOHN A. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,,res iding at Arlington, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Nipple Flanges, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates generally to. pipe couplings, and particularly to couplings of the type known as screw flanges for-coupling-pipe sections and fittings, such as elbows, crosses, tees, gate or globe valves, etc, with each other in the erection of steam water, oil or gas pipe lines.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel construction of coupling which may be termed a nipple flange and is adapted to be interchangeably employed in the erection or repair of pipe lines for the purposefof connecting the different pipes and fittings in such a manner as to reduce the cost of construction, effect a saving of time and labor and facllltate'and render easier theconnection of parts in both I installing and repairing a pipe line of any irregular character or considerable length.

A further object of the invention is to provide a coupling of this character which may be used in conjunction with the ordinary threaded flange or integralflange upon one of the parts to be coupled, and by the use of which the ordinary threaded nipples and unions may be dispensed with and tighter and stronger joints secured.

' The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and "claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing the use of-the improved nipple flange in conjunction with an ordinary threaded flange for coupling an elbow and pipe Fig.

2 is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig, 3 is an'elevation of-a portion, of a pipe lineshowing the use of the nipple-flange in coupling the various parts thereof. Fig. 4 isa vertical longitudinal section through a valve casing showing one of the applied nipple flanges in elevation and the other -in section.

shown in Fig. showing the nipple-flange applied and coupling a pipe section thereto,

.said flange being partly in section and partly in elevation to better disclose the construction thereof. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section showing the arrangement of the packing ring.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the nipple-flange or coupling constructed in accordance with the present invention, said coupling embodying the nipple proper 2 and flange proper 3, which latter is formed with openings 4 for the passage of coupling bolts.

In the process of manufacture, the nippleand flange are formed integrally as a. unitary article of manufacture, and the outer portion 5 of the nipple is uniformly tapered and externally threaded, as at 6, to lit within the threaded end of the elbow, valve or other element which is to be connected with. the adjoining element of the pipe line. in the form of the invention shown in detail in Figs. 1 and 2, the inner portion 7 of the outer surface of the nipple is left smooth or unthreadcd, solhat when the same is applied to the elbow, valve or other element engaged thereby a space will be'left between the end of such element and the adjacent side of the flange 3 for the reception of the nuts of the coupling bolts and free manipulation oi the wrench or other tool employed in applying and removing the same.

in Figs. 1 and 2, the improved coupling is shown employed for use in connection with an ordinary threaded flange 8 for coupling an elbow 9 with a pipe section 10, the ends of the elbow being internally threaded and the end of the pipe externally threaded in the usual manner. It will be observed that in suchapplication the threaded portion of the nipple is inserted within and engaged .with one of the threaded ends of the elbow and couple the parts together, the securing nuts 13 applied to the threaded ends the are:

' flange as a single or unitary coupling elev inserted in and engaged with such threaded conjunction with. an integral flange upon the use of the invention in connection with a of the invention 111: y be employed substanl l l l l l l meat, permits the bore or passage of the nipple to be made of the same diameter as l the bore or passage of the pipe 10, so that a l shoulder 14: is formed by the outer end or the nipple below the base of the flange 3, between which shoulder and the end of the 1 .pipe 10 a packing washer or gasket 13 may be clamped and en aged with the projecting threaded portion or thering flange to secure an absolutely tight joint.

Fig. 3 shows the use of the invention in coupling a tee 15 with the ends of adjacent pipc sections 16,.and also for coupling elbows with each other and with the associated pipe sections, while Fig. t shows the gate or globe valve 15. The ends of the T like the ends of the casing of the valve are tapered and internally threaded, at 17. The nipples of the improved couplings are portions 17 and the flanges 3 are coupled with the threaded flanges 8 upon the proximate ends of the pipes 16. in Big. 4: we have shown a slight departure in the construction of the nipple-flange from that disclosed in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, in that the entire external surface of the nipple is threaded but this operation in the construction, while desirableunder some conditions, is not absolutely essential. By reference to Fig.3} it will be seen that two. adjacent elbows J .may be coupled together by the eifiploymcnt of two of the improved couplingsfwhile each elbow may be coupled to the end of an adjacent pipe "section by the use of one ot the improved couplings and an ordinary threaded flange 8. ln th' figure we have also shown one of the elbows 9 connected by one of the improved nipple-flanges with an integral flange 18 on a'pipe section 19, it being understood. that the improved coupling may be used in connection with. one of the ordinary threaded flanges 8 for coupling an elbow, valve casing or the like with a pipe or in end of the pipefor a like purpose. The device is thus equally well adapted for coupling a wmught iron pipe in connection with a threaded flange to a fitting or coupling a cast pipe having an il'itegral coupling flange with a fitting.

In practice, the improved nipple-flanges or couplings constituting the subject-matter tially in the manner illustrated for coupling pipes and various fittings, includmg in addition to the parts bcrore described tees,

eaen'ae crosses. and other like internally threaded parts which are intended to be coupled with other externally threaded or flanged parts, and they are also intended to be-made of standard strength, extra strong and sizes and threaded in the standard manner so as to render them interchangeably applicable for use with different sized-pipes and fittings for coupling internally and eX- ternally threaded or flanged parts in the manner described.

As indicating one of the many advantages incident to the use of the invention, it may be stated that when a line of screwed pipe is laid starting at both extreme ends and meeting in the middle, it often becomes quite necessary to substitute ordinary screw flanges for a union in order to make proper connections, suchunion being employed for connecting the meeting ends of two pipe sections extending, for instance, between a valve and an elbow or other fittin By the use of our improved coupling a single pipe section may be employed and connected at its endswith. such fittings, thus dispensing with the necessity of making the pipe in two sections, as well as the necessity of employing a union. Also by the'use of the present invention, the employment of ordinary independent threaded nipples in connection with threaded flanges and the like may be avoided with obvious advantages. It will therefore be apparent that in installing or repairing a pipe line having a number of elbows or fittings, the use of couplings embodying our invention will reduce the amount of time and labor required -to connect the parts and at the same-time form stronger and tighter joints.

Having thus fully described-the invention, what is claimed as new is:

Means for connecting standard pipes and fittings, comprising an externally threaded conductor, an internally threaded conductor, an internally threaded ring flange engaging the external threads of the first-named con ductor and having a plane .outenabutting face projecting slightly beyond the end of It is also to be understood that the the same, an externally threaded nipple engaging the internal threads of the other conductor, said nipple being provided with a plane outer end formed with a fiangeintcgral therewith and havin 'a plane outer face flush with said end 0 the nipple and] abutting flatly against the outer face of the ring flange beyond the circumference of the nipple, said nipple and-integral flange being provided with a bore; extending continu ousl Y therethrough and of uniform diameter from end to end and corresponding-1n said flanges.

diameter to the bore of the externally I In testimony whereof we afiix 0111" sigma threaded conductor, :1 packing ring 01' gastures in presence of two witnesses. ket bet-ween the end of the externally thremll HOlVARl) W. REYNOLDS.

ed conductor and outer end of the nipple and resting against the prqectmg threaded portion of the ring flange, and bolts uniting JOHN A. SMITH. \Vitnessee \VILLIAM H. LUSK. MARY B. LETTENBERGEP. 

